Rehab or prehab? Or both? 

Many people think that Physical Therapy is post-operative rehab for those who have undergone surgery, or maybe for someone who’s had a stroke or been hospitalized and has become weak. While it is all those things, it is also so much more.

       Will you or a friend or loved one be having surgery this year?

Something most people do not consider, which Physical Therapy does so well, is PREHAB. What’s that? If you are looking at having hip, knee, shoulder or back surgery, seeing a physical therapist for a course of treatment BEFORE surgery can greatly enhance your recovery after surgery by improving the strength and flexibility of the muscles and soft tissues surrounding the area to be operated on, thus teaching your muscles the motor patterns required for strengthening post-operatively, before you are dealing with the inevitable swelling and pain that surgery will cause which affects the ability of...

The Price of Motherhood and Christmas

The popular Christmas song by Boney M rings in my head: “Mary’s boy child Jesus Christ was born on Christmas Day….Hark the Herald angels sing”

It sounds like it was a glorious birth experience, doesn’t it? Yet Mary had just traveled a couple  days on the back of a donkey, at full term! Now that couldn’t have been fun or very comfortable, although maybe it did help to get labor started if there was any doubt that her son Jesus would arrive late to his divinely scheduled birthday. Hopefully Joseph and Mary had been to some kind of birthing prep class because I don’t see mention of any doula or midwife present at this birth…

Motherhood is truly wonderful for the most part, but it does have its challenges, which for some moms, perhaps like Mary, begin before baby is even born. As the baby grows, mom can develop back pain, pubic symphysis pain, which makes even getting in...

Tips to keep neck and back pain away during the Festive Season

The festive season can involve activities that we don’t usually engage in, such as climbing ladders, hanging lights, picking up heavy boxes, doing more sitting that usual, and may also involve travel, whether by car or plane in order to spend time with family and loved ones. 

Who wants to be bothered with back or neck pain when hanging out with family, right? Here are some tips to help prevent the onset or minimize back or neck pain if it’s something you already suffer with:

If possible, take your own pillow when traveling. A poor night’s sleep can ruin your day and a pillow that is too hard or too soft can cause you to wake up with an unhappy neck. If you struggle with a stiff neck, you can find my favorite neck stretches on the Vital Life Physical Therapy You Tube channel or go to my website for a comprehensive online course on how to heal neck pain with your own hands and...

A week ago the sports world was rocked by news of the sudden death of the sports legend Kobe Bryant and his daughter in a helicopter crash.

He was 41 years old. I am not a big follower of sports myself, but was familiar with his name, so he must have been somebody big. As reports started rolling in, I learned more about this long time Lakers player and started hearing the same type of things over and over again....

Kobe was known for his relentless commitment to excellence in his craft, he was the epitome of a sports legend, always pushing himself to be better, his "Mamba Mantality" of never being satisfied with where he was, always striving for more. Fox News described him as having a zest for live, a "drive that was infectious". He inspired others to chase their own vision as he chased his.

Some, if not many, would probably say that Kobe lived life to the full. Even after retiring from basketball, it is said that he threw himself into being a great dad to his four daughters. My...